Track



May 1935. E. BRETSCHNEIDER 2,002,881

TRACK Filed July 22, 1951 Jnuentor;

Patented May 28, 1935 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE Application July 22, 1931, Serial No. 552,501 In Germany July 26, 1930 2 Claims.

The present invention relates to a device attached to the tracks of toy railroads for causing signals, gates and the like to be actuated by the moving train.

It has been proposed already to arrange on an extended plate of a signal mechanism a piece of track and to cut out a portion of the track part facing the signal, one end of the track piece being held up to bring the other end above the track line. but this arrangement suffers from the drawback that the signal can be passed in one direction only. Furthermore, the operation of the signal does not correspond to the actual requirements of traiiic, which a good mechanical toy should imitate as closely as possible, as the train has reached or passed the signal already when the latter is operated.

According to the invention. the track is raised by a yielding rebounding means a distance beginning before and ending behind the signal or the like and rebounds elastically supported, and the signal is operated by the approaching train which depresses the raised track portion and which may run in either direction without any ianger ofbeing derailed. This yielding reboundng of the track may be eiiected at any point by lisposing underneath it suitable means, such as i yielding rebounding means, e. g. a spring sup- 1ort. for controlling the signal directly or indiectly. This support may be a spiral spring havng preferably the form of a single leaf spring vith its supporting portions bent down obliquely, he end facing the signal acting as control for he operating lever of the signal or the like.

By Way of example, the invention is illustrated a the accompanying drawing, in which Figure 1 is a side view of a track and Figures 2 and 3 are cross sections of a track a loaded and unloaded condition with the signal a difierent positions.

The track is made up in the usual manner of he sections I and the ties 2. By means of an lastic support, consisting, for instance, of one r several leaf springs 3 arranged across or along he track, a portion of the latter is raised and eld in this position. The spring 3 can be seured to a plate 5 extending from the signal post under the track I, or it may be disposed between the tie and the rail and be regulatable as to tension. The spring may further be integral with the members connecting it with the signal or the like, or each part may be independent and connected with the others by suitable means, e. g., 5 the ends may be provided with perforations adapted to be inserted into each other. The connecting members may be secured to the rails or pushed under the track at any point without being firmly connected thereto. The signal arm 0 E is actuated by the leaf spring I- by means of the connecting member 1 in the following manner: When a train leaves the normally laid track in any direction and moves on the raised portion thereof, the latter will be depressed to actuate 1: the connecting member 7 which in turn causes the signal arm 5 or the like to swing out and rema n in this position until the train has left the track section in question, In the same manner as the depression of the raised track portion may swing out a signal arm, it may cause also the opening or closing of a gate or the like.

I claim:

1. A track for toy railroads, in which a control for signals, gates and the like actuated by a downwardly moving track section is operated for this section by the Weight of a passing train. comprising a yielding, rebounding and elastic means for holding the continuous trackway with ties when not loaded for a sufiicient distance beginning before and ending behind the part to be controlled in a yielding rebounding manner in a higher position than the normal position of the remaining track and ties to be pressed by the weight of the passing train into normal position, as said means being easily insertable under the track and withdrawable therefrom and not firmly connected therewith, and transmission means connected with the part to be controlled and actuated by the depression of the track section.

2. A track for toy railroads according to claim 1, comprising a plurality of yielding, rebounding and elastic means adapted to be inserted under the track and withdrawn again, said means h being not firmly connected with said track.

ERICH BRETSCHNEIDER. 

